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The artist has given the entirety of his £25,000 honor cash to the Music Venues Trust, which works to save the UK's independent live music spots.

He was awarded the award on October 16 as his new release People Watching was named the top album of the last 12 months.

He has opted to hand the money over to the MVT, in acknowledgment of the essential function local spots played in his initial steps.

"As an artist would not have achieved my current career if it hadn't been for all the shows I played around the North East, and further afield, when I was just getting going," said Fender. "These venues are renowned, but they are facing challenges."

Since the start of 2023, over 150 of these venues have shut down – about 16 percent of the whole industry in the UK.

Recently, major artists like Pulp, the group Coldplay, the singer Katy Perry and Sheeran have all supported the Music Venues Trust in its initiatives to support the industry, by including a minor surcharge to their ticket costs, which benefits independent venues.

Fender also joined in, collecting in excess of £100,000 on his live tour to support numerous small stages across England, Scotland, and Wales.

The donation supported venues that were confronting potential shutdown due to difficulties caused by flooding, fires and family tragedies, as well as regulatory hurdles, legal disputes and neighbor objections.

Some locations obtained financial assistance in improving amenities and technical equipment that helped musicians and fans.

"The idea that money from performances in major spaces helps the independent spots, where it begins for artists like me, is just sensible," Sam Fender has said.

Fender is not the first artist to contribute his Mercury Prize prize money to charitable organizations.

When Pulp earned the award in 1996 for their release their work, frontman Jarvis Cocker announced that the band would contribute their prize money to the non-profit War Child.

During 2002, artist she divided her bounty across several organizations, including the children's charity and a Sickle Cell charity.

"I also contributed a thousand pounds to the center, to their classes, because I did gymnastics when I was younger and they required better apparatus," Ms Dynamite shared with outlets.

Previously, the band donated their prize money to the youth organization that developed their band, as well as other local music groups.

Additionally winners that year they contributed their winnings to a multiple sclerosis charity after a acquaintance was diagnosed the illness.

"Receiving the award was quite enough," remarked artist Heather Small. "The cash was the cherry on top but we could do without the cherry, because we had the main prize. So our victory affected another person's life."

Last week, the Music Venues Trust revealed it had protected a couple of small stages in that region, by transferring them to public stewardship.

One venue in Southampton and the second in Bristol were bought under the Own Our Venues initiative, which is funded by the arts council and supporters who buy "stakes" in the buildings.